1996

Year

Description and implications

Result

1996-Feb

Match against Brazilian team

Won (+4=2)

1996-Feb

First Deep blue computer chess match

Won (+3-1=2)

1996-Apr

10th VSB tournament

Rating performance 2834

1st equal with Topalov

1996-May

PCA Kremlin stars

Lost to Kramnik in the final

1996-Jun

Dos Hermanas International tournament

4th (+3=5-0)

1996-Dec

Las Palmas

Rating performance of 2861
Ahead of Anand, Topalov, Kramnik, Ivanchuk and Karpov

1 2 3 4 5 6 Tot Perf

1 Kasparov RUS 2785 ** ½½ 1½ ½½ ½1 ½1 6½ 2861

2 Anand IND 2735 ½½ ** ½0 ½½ 1½ ½1 5½ 2797

3 Topalov BUL 2750 0½ ½½ ** ½1 01 ½½ 5 2758

4 Kramnik RUS 2765 ½½ ½1 ½0 ** 01 ½½ 5 2755

5 Ivanchuk UKR 2730 ½0 0½ 10 10 ** ½½ 4 2690

6 Karpov RUS 2775 ½0 ½0 ½½ ½½ ½½ ** 4 2681

Drama and implications

Kasparov outplayed Topalov in a rook and pawn ending making excellent use of his king. From the following position:-

Kasparov played the tricky Rg7
Topalov went into a lost position after Rxe4

Topalov vs Kasparov

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Be7 5.Bg2 d5 6.Nf3 0–0 7.0–0 c6 8.Qc2 b6 9.Ne5 Nfd7 10.Nd3 Bb7 11.Rd1 a5 12.a3 Ba6 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.Be3 Ra7 15.Nc3 Rc7 16.Bf4 Rc8 17.Bxb8 Nxb8 18.Rac1 Nc6 19.e3 Bc4 20.Bf1 Qd7 21.Nf4 b5 22.Bxc4 bxc4 23.e4 Bf6 24.exd5 Nxd4 25.Qe4 e5 26.Nh5 Bg5 27.f4 f5 28.Qg2 Qf7 29.Nxg7 Qxg7 30.fxg5 Qxg5 31.Kh1 e4 32.g4 Kh8 33.gxf5 Qxg2+ 34.Kxg2 Nxf5 35.Kh1 Nd6 36.Re1 Rf4 37.a4 Rb8 38.Re2 Kg7 39.Rce1 Rb4 40.Nb5 Nxb5 41.axb5 Kf7 42.d6 Ke6 43.Rd2 Kd7 44.Rg1 Rf7 45.Re1 a4 46.Re3 Rg7 (diagram) 47.Rxe4 a3 48.Re7+ Rxe7 49.dxe7+ Kxe7 50.bxa3 Rb1+ 51.Kg2 c3 52.Re2+ Kd6 53.Kf3 Kd5 54.a4 Kd4 55.a5 Rxb5 56.a6 Ra5 57.Re4+ Kd5 58.Re3 c2 59.Rc3 Rc5 0-1

Kasparov vs Ivanchuk

Kasparov played a very interesting pawn sacrifice on move 17:-

Qd2 was played
If 17..Nxd4 then Nxd4 Qxd4 Qe1! with annoying pressure

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 g6 5.Bc4 c6 6.0–0 Bg7 7.h3 0–0 8.exd6 exd6 9.Re1 Nc7 10.Bg5 Bf6 11.Bh6 Re8 12.Rxe8+ Nxe8 13.Bd3 d5 14.c4 dxc4 15.Bxc4 Nd6 16.Bb3 Nf5 17.Qd2 (diagram) Nd7 18.Nc3 Nxh6 19.Qxh6 Nf8 20.Rd1 Be6 21.d5 cxd5 22.Nxd5 Rc8 23.Qe3 b6 24.Ne5 Rc5 25.Ng4 Bxg4 26.hxg4 Kg7 27.f4 h6 28.f5 g5 29.Qe2 Nh7 30.Nxf6 Qxf6 31.Rd7 Re5 32.Rxf7+ Qxf7 33.Qxe5+ Qf6 34.Qc7+ Kh8 35.Kh1 a5 36.Be6 Nf8 37.Qxb6 1-0

Kasparov managed to beat his old arch-rival Anatoly Karpov

Kasparov vs Karpov

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0–0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 Bb7 8.e3 d6 9.f3 Nbd7 10.Nh3 c5 11.dxc5 bxc5 12.Be2 Qb6 13.0–0 d5 14.Rad1 Bc6 15.Nf2 h6 16.Bh4 Ba4 17.Rd2 Bb3 18.Ng4 Nxg4 19.fxg4 Rab8 20.g5 hxg5 21.Bxg5 Rb7 22.Be7 Re8 23.Bh4 Nf8 24.Bg3 Rd8 25.Bh4 Rdd7 26.cxd5 Rxd5 27.e4 Rxd2 28.Qxd2 Ba4 29.Bh5 Be8 30.Bf2 Qb5 31.Qd8 Bc6 32.Bg3 Rd7 33.Qe8 Qxf1+ 34.Kxf1 Rd1+ 35.Bxd1 Bxe8 36.Bf2 Bb5+ 37.Be2 Bxe2+ 38.Kxe2 Nd7 39.Kd3 a6 40.Bg1 f5 41.exf5 exf5 42.Kc4 Ne5+ 43.Kxc5 Nd3+ 44.Kb6 1-0

1st (+3=7)

1997-Feb

Linares

Kasparov obtained a staggering rating performance of 2903
He beat Kramnik, Adams, Topalov, Polgar and Anand. His only loss was against Ivanchuk

1st (+7=3-1)

1997-May

Kasparov lost a match to a computer - deep(er) blue in the rematch

Implications and drama

This was a landmark achievement for computer science. It was also arguably from a chess players point of view a big disappointment that the top player representing the human race had lost to a computer.

Kasparov in Child of Change seemed extremely confident that he would never lose to a computer:-

"What of the future of chess? I am often asked if one day a computer will beat me. I say not. No computer can ever beat me."

1997-Jun

Novgorod

2nd (+3=1-1)
to Kramnik

1997-Sep

Simultaneous against Argentinian olympiad side

Won (8.5/12)

1997-Oct

Fontys-Tilburg

1st equal with Svidler and Kramnik (+6=4-1)

1998

Linares

3rd after Anand and Shirov

1998

Kasparov gives an interview on the Internet Chess Club

1998-May

Topalov four game blitz match

25 minutes per game per player
4th game to be played independent of previous game results

Won +4

1998-May

Simultaneous display against the Israeli national team

Won 7=2-0

1998-Jun

"Advanced chess match" vs Topalov

This unique match equipped both players with a PC, Chessbase 7, Fritz5 with opening and endgame databases installed. The time rate was one hour for all the moves.

Match was tied at 3-3 but Kasparov won the tie break

1998-Jun

Siemens Nixdorf Giants

Location: Frankfurt

1	Kramnik	2790	RUS	**	½½	1½	1½	4
2	Anand	2770	IND	½½	**	1½	½½	3½
3	Kasparov	2825	RUS	0½	0½	**	1½	2½
4	Ivanchuk	2740	UKR	0½	½½	0½	**	2

Drama and Implications

A poor result by Kasparov standards.

He sensationally managed to lose his first two games, for the first time ever in his professional career. He came in third position out of the four contestants. Even so he did manage to beat Ivanchuk

Ivanchuk played Rg6?
and Kasparov replied Bxe6+!

Kasparov vs Ivanchuk

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0–0–0 Be7 9.f4 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 b5 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.e5 d5 13.Kb1 Bb7 14.f5 fxe5 15.Qxe5 Bf6 16.Qg3 Qe7 17.fxe6 fxe6 18.Be2 0–0–0 19.Bg4 h5 20.Bh3 h4 21.Qf4 Bg7 22.Rhe1 Rh6 23.a3 Rg6 24.Bxe6+ Rxe6 25.Qg4 Rdd6 26.Rxe6 Qxe6 27.Qxg7 Qf6 28.Qg4+ Kb8 29.Rd4 Re6 30.Qxh4 Qf1+ 31.Ka2 Qxg2 32.Rg4 Qf1 33.Rg8+ Ka7 34.Qd4+ Rb6 35.Nxd5 1-0

3rd place
(4 players)

1998-Sep

EuroTel match vs Timman

Location: Archa Theatre in the Czech capital of Prague

Implications and drama

This was a friendly six game match originally designed to be preparation for a PCA world title defence match against Alexei Shirov. However funding could not be found for the Shirov match and it was cancelled

In a couple of games, Timman spent over half an hour to find critical moves and lost both of them

Kasparov played the ultra sharp Qd5 in the following position:-

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e3 b5 6.a4 b4 7.Nb1 Ba6 8.Qc2 b3 9.Qd1 e6 10.Be2 c5 11.0–0 Nc6 12.Ne5 Rc8 13.Na3 cxd4 14.Naxc4 (diagram) Qd5 15.Bf3 Ne4 16.Nxc6 Rxc6 17.Nd2 f5 18.Re1 d3 19.Nxb3 e5 20.Bd2 Rb6 21.Bxe4 fxe4 22.Nc1 Rxb2 23.Bc3 d2 24.Rf1 Bxf1 25.Bxb2 Bc4 26.Ne2 Bb3 27.Nc3 Bxd1 28.Nxd5 Bb3 29.Nc3 Bb4 30.Nd1 0–0 0-1

Kasparov produced a neat tactical idea early on in his other victory against Timman:-

Kasparov played Ng3,
threatening Be4 skewing Black's queen and rook on a8

Kasparov vs Timman

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0–0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 c5 8.e3 d6 9.Bd3 cxd4 10.exd4 d5 11.cxd5 Qxd5 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Ne2 Rd8 14.Ng3 (diagram) Qxd4 15.Be4 Qxc3+ 16.bxc3 Rd5 17.Rd1 Bb7 18.Bxd5 Bxd5 19.Nh5 Nd7 20.c4 Bc6 21.Rxd7 Bxd7 22.Nxf6+ Kg7 23.Nxd7 f6 24.Ke2 Rc8 25.Rc1 Rc7 26.Nb8 1-0

Won (+2=3-0)

1998-Nov

Kasparov Kramnik blitz match

Draw 12-12